♡ Visiting a bunny themed shrine in Kyoto! | Okazaki Shrine 2023 ♡

 Good morning everybun…!♡

I know I’ve posted this photo everywhere at this point… but I really loved this shrine and wearing a bunny kimono there!

As you probably already know, this year is the zodiac year of the rabbit…!♡

As I’m hoping that it’ll be a special year, I decided to write a little blog post about this beautiful shrine, as well as discussing my future dreams and goals. I actually wrote a similar blog to this in the past, and some of my dreams actually came true… so maybe it’s lucky?

This is Okazaki shrine in Kyoto, also known as the bunny shrine! I’ve dreamed of going here for years, and finally managed to visit in time for the year of the rabbit. I know that I’ve posted a lot about this shrine, but it really is so beautiful. Rabbits are pretty well known in Shintoism for representing fertility, good luck and intelligence, but they are also known for symbolising the ability to move forward. For this year, I’m hoping that this will be a good sign to keep working hard, and moving towards becoming the best version of myself♡

This bunny statue was probably my favourite! It reminded me a lot of my late bunny Arthur, who was also lop-eared. I actually brought a photo of him with me to this shrine♡ There were a lot of other rabbit lovers there, it was so sweet…! I’d really love to visit again in the future, and would definitely recommend this shrine to other bunny lovers; it was just too adorable~

When you visit a shrine, there’s always omamori for sale that have various good-luck affects. I ended up choosing quite a few goodies, but my favourite is this adorable pink bunny charm, which is supposed to bring happiness, and also came in a white colour too…!♡ 

During our walk to and from the shrine, it was so wonderful to just take in all the beautiful (albeit a little old and dirty!) sights around Kyoto. I love how in autumn, all the green and orange shades are so vivid and pretty… I felt like I was in a forest sometimes, despite this being a big city! There was so much beautiful nature~♪

This shrine was also a twenty minute walk away from philosophers walk, one of the loveliest spots to visit in Kyoto♡ I’d visited this exact spot before four years ago, and although it was so beautiful during that springtime with the pink sakura, the autumn colours were still lovely!

Please ignore the trash can… lol

I hope that for 2023, there will be many more happy moments like this. It’s so easy to get caught up in the stresses and worries of life, that (at least for me) I easily forget that even the simple things can bring a lot of joy.Of course, it's not every day that I'm able to rent a bunny themed kimono and then visit a bunny themed shrine, but I want to grow to appreciate even the small things that can bring joy, such as my own bunny shrine at home, or even just seeing cute bunny gifs online, hehe~♪

Another goal of mine is to try taking a proficiency exam for my Japanese language. I’ve been studying for years, and even will be starting a language course in Tokyo next year, but never took a formal exam…! The reason I'd love to take an exam (and, hopefully, pass!) is because it feels like a huge achievement, and looks great on your cv hehe!

Because of my dyslexia, I struggle with retaining information, and reading text that isn’t broken up into small chunks is difficult for me. I also learn words very slowly, and make lots of spelling mistakes… and that’s just in English…! Despite this, I've worked really hard to improve my Japanese, and I'm determined to become fluent one day.

My final goal for 2023 is to find a job that I really love, and work on building my little online world, especially this blog. I tend to get swept up in my own imagination a little too much, but it would be amazing to have a dreamy and cute life too… I want to work hard to make content that you enjoy viewing, and have a job that is fulfilling and fun…! Hopefully that will be possible in Tokyo; maybe the next time I write a New Years resolution list, it’ll come true?♡

Thank you so much for reading angel, and I hope your New Years was wonderful. Do you have any resolutions?

Lots of love,

♡Evie xox♡ 

♡ Mama chapp doll unboxing! | Moko-chan - 1/6 - Kindergarten Ver. Rabbit Set ♡

 Hello cuties!♡

For todays blog post, I’m so excited to share a review of this adorable mama chapp doll that i recently found secondhand on mercari.jp, via buyee.jp…! Actually, this purchase was kind of lucky as recently I’ve been saving for my holiday and hadn’t been checking mercari obsessively everyday like I used to, but thankfully saw this listing in time!~♪

I’ve had this doll on my wishlist for quite some time, praying that she would show up for a good price one day…. and she did! She was only ¥4,980 yen (approx £31) without shipping, and shipping was £17, which is a little steep, but worth it for the total cost of this doll~♪ 

 Company photos 

This sweet doll was released in 2007, and has two variants: the rabbit set and chick set. As you can see, i bought the rabbit set…!♪ Other than the adorable bunny theme, I also adore this set because of her baby pink x red outfit, the colour scheme is too adorable. She also has this sweet tulip pocket, matching with her friend!

One thing that I love about mama chapp dolls is that they look so cute with the variant doll of the set, like sisters or friends…! It’s a great series for picky doll collectors, because if you love a dolls design but don’t like a particular variant, there’s usually at least one or two more varieties with different outfit and hair colours!  

 Now that I've shown the company photos, lets look at Moko-chan irl…!♡ 

Although I adore many features these dolls have, their boxes aren’t one of them…! They’re very plain and the colour isn’t so cute. However, that doesn’t really bother me as I’m not someone who displays their dolls in-box.

My first impression is… waaaa she’s so cute!!~ as always, the detail in Mama chapp dolls is incredible. In my previous post, I mentioned that they have a obitsu 11 body, so she can share clothes with my other dolls!

Her shirt has this sweet Peter Pan collar, with a little bunny pin that has her name on it. this is probably a little nitpicky, but despite this doll sculpt being called Moko, it would be nice if each doll had a different name, for displaying purposes- but then again, it doesn’t really matter ♪

Here’s a little close up of all the accessories included in this set. The little ribbons in her hair are absolutely adorable! You could display her with the little yellow hat too, perfect for outings in sunny weather, or rainy? Either way, she is very sensibly dressed..!

Moko-chan has this adorable baby pink gingham set for her inner wear. The ribbon tie at the back is such a lovely touch, and matches her hairstyle! You could coordinate this top with the fluffy pastel skirts Azone have produced too…!♡

I also tried changing her hands to some of my favourite obitsu hands included in this set! They look a lot more natural than the default hands, and are perfect for holding plushies

As lovely as the bunny themed bag is, sadly it does not open… fortunately, Moko-chan has a giant pocket with a tulip on to store cute things in. The skirt and top are really well made, with stirring on the sleeves of the top and clasps on the back of each piece. 

Her skirt is also high waisted and would look so cute coordinated with an oversized jumper or top…! Although most of my dolls clothes are pink and white, I’d love to try and coordinate a bright and cute summer outfit with it ♪ 

 Final thoughts for Moko-chan♡ 

Overall, this doll is just so so perfect! Her bright and cheerful colour scheme brings a smile to my face, and she just looks so cute and pretty

I would definitely recommend this doll if you find her for sale…! She’s absolutely adorable and has already brightened up my shelf

Thank you so much for reading angels…! I hope that this review did justice to how cute Moko-chan is, and that this was fun to read♡ I’m hoping to create a little mama chapp shrine in my room hehe, these dolls are just *so* adorable!! 

Lots of love, 

Evie xox

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